Step onto a campus designed for creatives

Our 48-acre campus located in the heart of Sarasota has everything an emerging artist or designer could need, including coffee shops, fitness and health centers, galleries and exhibition spaces, fully equipped, professional studios and labs, a top ranked library collection, large scale, customizable project rooms, digital checkouts, and more. And you don't have to walk miles to get from one end to the other - our campus is intimate enough to cross in minutes, so you're never far from where you need to be.

That's why 70% of our students choose to live on campus! Experience Ringling College for yourself and get immersed in a campus experience designed specifically for creatives.

Every day, new technologies and platforms are being invented and traditional work and social practices are changing. Artists and designers are collaborating more, conducting more research, and using faster and better tools. We will always be growing and changing with these new discoveries, so you know, as a student at Ringling College, you have every opportunity and resource at your fingertips. Check out what we have in the works right now!

There’s no such thing as a typical Ringling student. Our student body is comprised of emerging artists and designers from over 65 countries and all across the United States. At Ringling, we welcome international dialogue and foster respect and inclusion because inspiration and creativity don't thrive in a vacuum - the best artists and designers inspire and engage with the global community. We also encourage students to take advantage of our many international programs to study abroad and work with artists and businesses from around the world, preparing you to work in today's global world.

Here, you’ll meet people from all walks of life and connect with a new community of creatives - some just like you and a lot who aren’t all that different after all.

There’s a reason we were recently named Most Wired Campus in America by US News & World Report. Just look at the facts: Ringling College has 2.2 computers per student, when the national average is just .14.

We want to make sure that no matter where your inspiration leads you, we offer the resources to back you up. On campus we offer labs stocked with 550 Macintosh computers, 319 PCs, Cintiq Tablets, high-resolution laser printers, 3D printers, laser cutters, and so much more.

Students also have access to large-format printing and can use our digital checkout system to utilize a fantastic array of high-tech gear like game consoles, video cameras, and digital projectors.

And, of course, our campus is equipped with free wifi, and our Academic Center can connect 3,000 devices at any given time. We are here to support you, and to make sure you never have to slow down.

Your fully equipped laptop, on us

To mold our students into the creative leaders and thinkers of tomorrow, we understand they need to start working like professionals today. That is why, from day one, our students are given a MacBook Pro notebook computer, loaded with all the latest software, free of charge.

On top of that, you will be fully supported by our on-site Institutional Technology staff to ensure your creativity is never stifled by your access.

Work from anywhere

The Ringling College Athena Initiative is a new cloud-based computer platform that allows you to access your own “compute server” from almost any device, anywhere, anytime with high-resolution support and 3D graphics capabilities.

This means the freedom to access your files just as you left them from your Windows computer, Macintosh, smartphone, or tablet—effectively turning your device of choice into a portal to a powerful, mobile workstation comparable to your typical Windows workstation with 3D applications such as Maya and Zbrush.

As if that weren’t enough, Athena provides free annual hardware upgrades while you are a student, regular automated upgrades of the latest software and security programs, nightly backup service, and retrieval of lost files for up to 10 days.

Find support beyond the studio

We know that happy artists and designers lead lives that are balanced and well-rounded, so we invite our students to take advantage of our various health and wellness programs available.

Susan Palmer Fitness Center
For those who like get their hearts pumping and bodies moving, our on-campus Susan Palmer Fitness Center offers a number of options. Students can attend a yoga session, participate in a Zumba class, torch stress with p90x, or put on their headphones and work out solo with our countless cardio and weight machines, free weights, medicine balls, resistance bands, and more. And to meet your crazy schedules, we keep the doors open late.

We also encourage Ringling students to get involved with clubs, organizations, local trips and outing, and our Mindful Campus program. More details can be found at health.ringling.edu.

The Susan Palmer Fitness Center has extended membership to Official Ringling College Guests. To obtain Fitness Center privileges, please complete: The Ringling College Guest ID Form. Please allow up to 48 business hours for processing your ID. After 24 hours you can visit Student Life on the Second Floor of Ulla Searing from 9:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday to take your picture and obtain your picture ID. Please bring with you a valid drivers license or state ID as proof of identification.

Spiritual Development
Looking to join communities that will allow you to explore and embrace your faith? Our Campus Ministry works with students of all religious affiliations to find the support and services they seek. Whether you are looking for a place to meditate, a group of like-minded worshipers, or simply someone to talk to, our Campus Chaplain is here to help.

We support student-led groups on campus to bring in speakers, hold prayer sessions, and learn more about their faith and that of others around them through interfaith forums. We are a member of the Hillel Chapter of Manatee County, and our Rabbi is also on campus every week, or as needed. We also support regular Catholic mass on campus as requested by our students. Regardless of your faith, we are here to help you connect with your community and offer guidance.

Student Health Center
But even the healthiest of us get sick sometimes, so we offer on-campus health services for all students, regardless of your insurance provider. In partnership with Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Ringling College provides on-campus medical services and is equipped to diagnose and treat most common illnesses and conditions.

No appointment is needed to drop in and see one of our medical professionals about your aches and pains, minor injuries, routine checkups, prescription needs, and more. Of course, Ringling Students can always receive care at the Sarasota Memorial Urgent Care Center for additional services or after hours care.

Counseling
We also offer free counseling and mental health services in a confidential and supportive environment. This includes individual and group counseling, educational programming, emergency psychological services, and, for longer term care, consultations with home and community providers. We are here to make sure you are happy, healthy, and supported throughout your studies at Ringling College.

Student Leadership
Looking for a chance to lead? Our Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development encourages students to take the reins. Join the Campus Activities Board and help organize campus events. Or, participate in the Student Government Association to take advantage of leadership workshops and field trips. Learn how to take the reins and make the changes you want to see around campus.

Volunteer
Looking for an altruistic outlet? Volunteer around town! Each year, Ringling College dedicates over 14,000 hours of service to the local community—an in-kind value of over $200,000! Join fellow do-gooders planting community gardens, teaching art to local kids, cleaning up the environment, and painting murals. However you like to give back, we have a group ready to pitch in!

Student Volunteerism and Service-Learning
The Student Life Office and Student Volunteerism and Service-Learning staff provide community service opportunities for the growth and development of the entire Ringling College community. A great deal of your learning beyond the classroom can take place through volunteerism. Becoming a student volunteer will help you gain professional skills and experience; you will become more socially responsible, gain a sense of belonging, meet other volunteers with similar values and interests, learn leadership skills, embrace diversity, and gain perspective by seeing others with different or more severe challenges than your own. Your worldview will be expanded as you gain insight into the Sarasota community and beyond.
As a Ringling College volunteer, you can share your strengths – artistic or otherwise – and have meaningful community experiences.

RVO, Federal Work Study Program
Ringling College of Art and Designs department of Student Volunteerism and Service-Learning has hires student Federal Work Study employees each year to expand our community outreach to even greater potential. This student group, called RVo (Ringling Volunteerism), is working hard to implement new marketing strategies, increase campus club and organization involvement, and strengthen our existing partnerships with local non-profit organizations. A huge 'thank you' to our hard-working student employees who are a wonderful example of service at Ringling College and to the Sarasota community!

Student Ambassadors
This group is made up of volunteer students nominated by the heads of the academic departments and staff members of various student/academic support services. The students are chosen because they excel in and out of the class room and those who nominated them believe they will serve as great representatives of their fellow students and the Ringling College.

YEA! Program
Ringling College of Art and Design recognizes that artists and designers play a significant role in society. The College's primary mission is to provide programs leading to degrees that prepare students to be discerning visual thinkers and ethical practitioners in their chosen area of art and design.
Visual arts professionals must understand diverse aspects of past and present cultures, and develop their capacity for creative expression and effective communication. Ringling's curriculum, therefore, balances the teaching of technical knowledge and skills with the development of critical, conceptual and creative abilities and supports courses that provide historical, multicultural, global and future perspectives. Ringling faculty consists of professionally active and teaching-oriented artists, designers and scholars.
The YEA (Youth Experiencing Art) Program at Ringling College of Art and Design provides art and arts integration experiences to PreK-12th grade teachers and students. YEA pairs Ringling College students with classroom teachers and art teachers. These pairs co-develop, co-teach, and co-assess the projects connected to the students’ curriculum. By leveraging the learning through long-term residencies, students have multiple arts experiences that are personally meaningful and relevant.

The Lazarus Foundation Scholarship
The Lazarus Foundation awards scholarships and grant money to Ringling students who have demonstrated a commitment to community service. Applicants are asked both to describe their past service experiences and to create a future program that will benefit the local community. Students will first receive the grant money to carry out the proposed project. Scholarship money will be awarded pending completion of the project. Applicants must be registered Ringling College students.

Students can choose from three meal plans based on how many meals they plan to eat on campus – The Ultimate 19 (all meals eaten on campus), The Flex 15 (15 meals a week on campus) or The Simply 7 (just 7 meals a week on campus).

Some residence halls require Ringling plans:The Ultimate 19 Plan is required for residents of Goldstein, Appleton, Idelson, and Harmon.Residents of Keating Hall can choose between the Ultimate 19 and the Flex 15.Residents of the Cove and the Ulla Searing Student Center can choose any meal plan.Meal plans are optional for those in apartment style housing, as well as for commuters.

We welcome art and design students from around the world! To make you feel at home, introduce you to all of our resources, and ease the transition, we offer a wide array of services available on campus.

International Students CenterOur International Student Services Center is centrally located to provide assistance and support for our many students from abroad. Reach out to us for anything you need, whether that be about employment, visas, tax forms, or travel. We will let you know what paperwork you need, what resources are available to you on campus, and what steps you need to take to stay up to date.

Within the first few weeks of your arrival, you will check in with the Ringling College International Student Advisor to address any questions you may have and make you feel right at home.

If you have any questions regarding resources for international students at Ringling College, please contact Amy Pettengill at apetteng@ringling.edu or 941.893.2051.

Our stellar Center for Career Services has one thing in mind: setting you up to succeed. We have the staff, the resources, and the network to help you put your best foot forward and connect with major players in your field. We offer interview and resume building tips and bring in top recruiters from Pixar, Disney, EA, and DreamWorks, (among many others!) who are looking for talent right here at Ringling College. And the support doesn’t end when you graduate. We are a resource for life because we know sometimes career goals and paths change, and we want to help you every step of the way.

You will never be limited by your lack of resources at Ringling College. If you don’t have it, we do. Stop by our Digital Checkout, Photo Studio, and Letterpress & Book Arts Center for access to cutting edge tools and technology.

Digital CheckoutExplore our state-of-the-art library of equipment to find the best tools for the job. We are constantly expanding and adding new tools to ensure our students are working with the most up-to-date, professional grade equipment for their needs.

Photo StudioUse our professional photography studio as your own and take advantage of our array of industry standard equipment. Familiarize yourself with the tools the pros use—top quality lighting, cameras, sweep tables, and more.

Print ServicesPrint Services is our on-campus service for reasonably priced, high quality digital color prints available to students, faculty, and staff at Ringling College. We offer a range of matte and glossy papers from Red River, Epson, Lexjet, Hahnemhle, Moab, Breathing Colour, and Illuminata.

Letterpress & Book Arts CenterStarting this semester, Letterpress students can take advantage of monitored studio hours at our facility. We currently offer 5 printing presses, over 400 cases of type, 4,000 metal engravings, and a top-of-the-line photopolymer platemaker. In addition, we have tools for bookbinding, box making, and creative packaging.

The safety of our students is paramount. That’s why we have a professional staff of uniformed Public Safety Officers on campus around the clock. We employ top-grade locks on the outside of every residence hall, ample lights around campus and parking facilities, and resources for interested students to learn how to protect themselves and their property.

We want you to be safe and comfortable here, and we are committed to taking every effort to make that happen.

We offer a number of resources to help you ease into life at Ringling. Whether you need additional help preparing for your classes or adjusting to life away from home, we are here to help you succeed.

Academic Resource Center Want a little extra help with your studies? Make an appointment with the Academic Resource Center (ARC) located on campus. We offer services to help you manage your studies more effectively by delivering individualized lessons and support on writing, test preparation, note-taking and studying, English as a Second Language (ESL), and time management.

Make an appointment to sit down with an ARC staff member for one-on-one attention.

Our ARC Director is also the disabilities services officer, available to students who need to make special accommodations for any classes or campus activities. Just make an appointment and stop by! We are happy to sit down and speak with you about the services we offer to help.

Who says libraries should be quiet? Our new, modern Goldstein Library invites you to tackle group projects, spark creative conversation, and work out loud. And the experience is yours to create. Here, the furniture is moveable, the workstations adaptable, and the space entirely customizable.

This $18 million, state-of-the art facility is also designed to adapt and grow with technologies to come, so we can always provide the most advanced, professional tools for the project you have in mind. And at 46,000 square feet, we have ample room for our extensive collection, 30% of which was previously housed off campus.

Ringling College graduates have lifetime library privileges, and we are open to the public the public for art and design research. Local community users are invited to support the Library by joining the Ringling College Library Association, sponsors of the Town Hall lecture series.

Make yourself at home

Designed for our creative students, our housing options spark community and collaboration.

With seven residence halls, multiple apartment complexes, and over 30 near campus houses, Ringling College offers students a wide array of options for housing. And since over 70% of students choose to live on campus, we strive to make our campus housing convenient, safe, and comfortable. Our amenities include furnished living quarters, three meal plan options, on-call staff, proximity to campus services, classrooms, and studios, all utilities, and 24 hour security. For additional safety, access to each floor of our residence halls is limited to its inhabitants only.

But we go beyond the typical college residence halls. Our housing is designed specifically for creatives, offering plenty of collaboration spaces, large scale project workrooms, and access to our many student resources.

First year students reside in Goldstein, Appleton, Idelson, and Harmon Halls, centrally located on campus for convenience and proximity to our facilities.

Goldstein Hall
Our newest residence hall, Goldstein is a state-of-the-art facility built for collaboration. The ground floor offers a student lounge area called The Fishbowl, mailroom, residence life offices, and a large multipurpose space for student events. Goldstein rooms are double suites, housing two students each and sharing an adjoining bathroom with another room. They typically measure 11x16 ft, and each floor is equipped with project rooms for creating large-scale projects.

Appleton, Idelson & Harmon
Bedrooms in these halls are among the largest on campus, and as such, three students share the space measuring 15x16 ft, with loftable beds, drawing tables/chairs, and tile floors. These rooms are just a short walk from the Hammons Commons Dining Hall, Student Center, and The Fishbowl.

Sophomore Housing

Students in their second year live in Keating Hall, Ulla Searing Student Center, and The Cove.

Keating Hall
Keating is a fully restored, 1920s era hotel that is located near the Hammond Commons dining hall, Student Center, classrooms, and studios. Measuring 10x10 ft, these single bedrooms offer a unique, historical living experience.

Ulla Searing Student Center
Students in Ulla Searing have in-house access to an array of student resources, including the fitness center, recreation spaces, Outtakes Café, design labs, Career Services, and Student Life. Each room is double occupancy, measures 11x16 ft, and enjoys a private bathroom with shower. Every wing offers large student lounges built for collaboration.

The Cove
Located on Whittaker Bayou, The Cove offers singles, doubles, and triples and requires students to have a meal plan. Each double and triple has a private bathroom, and the singles enjoy a half bath and shared hall showers. Outdoor areas are set up for waterside dining, lounging, and manatee spotting!

Upperclass Student Housing

Students in their third and fourth years at Ringling College are housed in the Roy and Susan Palmer Quadrangle, Bayou Village Apartments, 2409 Bradenton Rd, and “Near Campus” Housing. Upperclass student Resident Assistants (RAs) live on each floor of student housing and come up with fun activities for students while ensuring a comfortable and safe living environment. Master's level professionals also live on campus and provide additional support.

Roy and Susan Palmer Quadrangle
These apartments are located near our Academic Center and are set up like traditional two bedroom apartments, some with two bathrooms and some with one. Rooms with two bathrooms hold three students, while those with one bathroom serve two. All of these units have full kitchens.

Bayou Village Apartments
Located slightly off the main campus, this option is for students who want more independence. The most sought after rooms on campus, each suite is comprised of four singles, two bathrooms, a living room, full kitchen, and patio/balcony.

2409 Bradenton Road (formerly Family Housing)
We offer both one bedroom and two bedroom units in this eight unit building near campus. Offering a wonderful view of Whittaker Bayou, this structure is located near the Academic Center and plenty of student resources.

'Near Campus' Houses
Ringling College has been steadily acquiring single family houses in the community surrounding our campus to provide a more independent lifestyle for upperclass students. We renovate buildings as needed and manage them through Residence Life to ensure security and up-to-date facilities. Houses are typically two or three occupancy with both singles and doubles.